Connector

Abstract

Provided is a connector capable of reducing the resistance of the connection portion between the terminal and the wire and miniaturizing the terminal. The connector (1) includes a connection structure between the terminal (10) and the wire (20), a housing (40) that houses and holds the terminal (10), and an O-ring (50) sandwiched between the terminal (10) and the housing (40). The terminal (10) has a wire connection portion (11) connected to the wire (20) on one end side and a terminal connection portion (12) connected to the other terminal on the other end side. The wire connection portion (11) of the terminal (10) is formed in a solid column shape. The joint portion (30) of the wire (20) and the terminal (10), which is obtained by butt-joining the end face of the wire connection portion (11) and the end face of the wire (20) and joining them by thermocompression bonding, has an enlarged portion with a cross-sectional area larger than the area of the end face of the wire connection portion (11) before joining.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector. Background Art

[0002] As an example of a charging port connector (vehicle-side connector) for charging an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, there is a case described in Patent Document 1.

[0003] The connector includes a terminal member, a housing forming a terminal storage chamber for storing the terminal member, and a retainer mounted on the housing to prevent the terminal member from falling off. The terminal member is provided with a terminal connection portion and a wire connection portion before and after a flange. The terminal connection portion has a cylindrical fitting portion in which a plurality of elastic pieces are arranged at intervals in a circular shape. The wire connection portion has a rod shape with a crimping portion for crimping the end of the wire provided at the rear end. The retainer has an insertion through-hole for inserting the wire connection portion, and a pressing cylinder portion that can be inserted into the terminal storage chamber in a manner of being locked to the rear surface of the flange. And, a protrusion is formed along the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface at a position in front of the crimping portion in the wire connection portion. In a state where the terminal member is stored in the terminal storage chamber and is prevented from coming off by the retainer, the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical fitting portion is closely fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the terminal storage chamber, and the protruding strip is closely fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the pressing cylinder portion.

[0004] Therefore, according to this connector, even if a force that tilts the terminal member acts, since the tilt is restricted, it is possible to suppress the terminal member from tilting in the terminal storage chamber.

[0005] Prior Art Documents

[0006] Patent Documents

[0007] Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2017-208265 Summary of the Invention

[0008] Technical Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0009] However, the wire connection portion of the terminal member of the above-mentioned connector has a hollow cylindrical shape. In a state where the wire is inserted and stored inside, the outer periphery of the wire connection portion is flattened in the radial direction, and the wire connection portion is crimped to the wire. Therefore, since there is a case where the central portion of the wire is difficult to be flattened and the resistance value is high, it is difficult to ensure the quality. And, since the wire is stored and crimped in the hollow cylindrical wire connection portion, the wire connection portion requires a length of a certain level or more. As a result, the size of the terminal member becomes large and the manufacturing cost becomes high.

[0010] The present invention provides a connector capable of achieving low resistance of the connection portion between the terminal and the wire and miniaturization of the terminal.

[0011] Technical Solution for Solving the Technical Problem

[0012] In order to achieve the foregoing object, the connector of the present invention is characterized by the following (1) to (3).

[0013] (1) A connector comprising:

[0014] Terminals;

[0015] A housing that houses and holds the terminals;

[0016] An annular sealing member that is clamped between the terminals and the housing;

[0017] For the terminals,

[0018] A wire connection portion is formed on the first end side in a manner to be connected to a wire and has a first end face,

[0019] A terminal connection portion is formed on the second end side in a manner to be connected to a counter terminal,

[0020] The wire connection portion is formed in a solid columnar shape,

[0021] The first end face is configured to form a part of a joint portion by butt-joining with a second end face of the wire,

[0022] The joint portion has an enlarged portion with a cross-sectional area larger than the area of the first end face before the joint of the first end face and the second end face,

[0023] The terminal further has a wall surface,

[0024] The wall surface protrudes radially from the outer peripheral surface of the terminal at a position closer to the second end side than the first end face and extends in the circumferential direction of the terminal,

[0025] The sealing member is locked in a groove portion between the enlarged portion and the wall surface.

[0026] (2) The connector according to the above (1), wherein

[0027] The wire is further provided,

[0028] The first end face and the second end face that are joined together form the joint portion.

[0029] (3) The connector according to the above (2), wherein

[0030] The wire has a stranded wire formed by stranding a plurality of single strands,

[0031] The area of the first end face before the joint is larger than the area of the end face of the stranded wire.

[0032] For the connector configured as described in (1) and (2) above, since the wire and the terminal are joined at the end face, compared with the case where the terminal and the wire are flattened and pressed together from the outer periphery of the terminal in a state where the wire is inserted into the wire insertion portion of the terminal, low resistance can be achieved, thereby ensuring quality. Also, since there is no wire insertion portion that needs to be pressed, the terminal can be made smaller.

[0033] Moreover, for the connector configured as described in (1) and (2) above, the enlarged portion formed by thermocompression bonding can be used to hold the annular sealing member. Therefore, since there is no need to previously provide a locking portion (locking groove) for holding the sealing member on the terminal, the terminal structure can be simplified and miniaturized.

[0034] For the connector configured as described in (3) above, since the area of the end face of the wire connection portion is larger than the area of the end face of the wire, an increase in the resistance value at the butt joint surface between the terminal and the wire can be prevented.

[0035] Effects of the Invention

[0036] According to the present invention, a connector capable of achieving low resistance at the connection portion between the terminal and the wire and miniaturization of the terminal can be provided.

[0037] The above is a simple description of the present invention. Additionally, by referring to the drawings and reading the following detailed description of the specific embodiments (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments"), the detailed content of the present invention can be further clarified. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0038] Figure 1 (a) and (b) thereof are perspective views of a terminal of an embodiment.

[0039] Figure 2 (a) thereof is a side view of a terminal and a wire before joining in an embodiment, Figure 2 and (b) thereof is a side view after joining.

[0040] Figure 3 (a) and (b) thereof are Figure 2 enlarged views of part A and part B shown in (a) and (b) thereof.

[0041] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a connector having a connection structure of an embodiment.

[0042] Figure 5 is Figure 4 an enlarged view of part C shown therein.

[0043] Figure 6Figures (a) and (b) are explanatory diagrams showing the differences between the connectors of the embodiments and the connectors of the reference examples.

[0044] Description of Reference Numerals

[0045] 10 Terminal; 10a Outer Peripheral Surface; 11 Wire Connection Portion; 11a End Face; 12 Terminal Connection Portion; 13 Flange; 13a Wall Surface; 14 Locking Groove; 15 Groove Portion; 20 Wire; 21 Conductor; 22 Insulator; 30 Joint Portion; 40 Housing; 50 O-ring. Detailed Embodiments

[0046] The detailed embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0047] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the terminal 10 of one embodiment, Figure 1 (a) of is a perspective view of the terminal 10 as viewed from the terminal connection portion 12 side, Figure 1 (b) of is a perspective view of the terminal 10 as viewed from the wire connection portion 11 side. Figure 2 is a side view of the terminal 10 before and after being joined to the wire 20 in one embodiment, Figure 2 (a) of represents the state before joining, Figure 2 (b) of represents the state after joining. Figure 3 is Figure 2 an enlarged view of the A portion and the B portion shown in Figure 3 (a) of represents the state in which the end face 11a (first end face) of the terminal 10 is butted against the end face (second end face) of the wire 20 before joining, Figure 3 (b) of represents the state in which the joint portion 30 is formed by joining.

[0048] The terminal 10 has a wire connection portion 11 for connecting to the wire 20 on one end side (first end side), a terminal connection portion 12 for connecting to a counter terminal (not shown) on the other end side (second end side), and a flange 13 on the outer periphery between the wire connection portion 11 and the terminal connection portion 12. The terminal 10 is a female terminal made of metal. In the terminal 10, in the portion closer to the terminal connection portion 12 than the flange 13, on the outer periphery of the portion adjacent to the flange 13, a locking groove 14 for locking the housing 40 of the connector 1 (refer to Figure 4 ) is provided over the entire circumference of the terminal 10.

[0049] The wire connection portion 11 is formed in a short solid column shape. In the present embodiment, the wire connection portion 11 is formed in a solid cylindrical shape, and it suffices that the wire connection portion 11 is solid and has a column shape with a length capable of forming the joint portion 30 described later, and it may also be a prism shape or the like.

[0050] The terminal connection portion 12 has a long, substantially cylindrical shape with a plurality of narrow slits 12a and a plurality of elastic contact pieces 12b alternately arranged on the circumference. It is configured such that the mating terminal is inserted into the interior of the terminal connection portion 12.

[0051] The flange 13 is located at a position closer to the terminal connection portion 12 than the end face 11a in the outer peripheral surface 10a of the terminal 10, and has a wall surface 13a that extends from the outer peripheral surface 10a in the radial direction (intersecting the outer peripheral surface 10a) and extends in the circumferential direction.

[0052] The electric wire 20 has a conductor 21 made of copper or aluminum and an insulator 22 covering the outer periphery of the conductor 21, and the conductor 21 is exposed from the insulator 22 at the end. The electric wire 20 is a twisted pair wire having a conductor 21 formed by twisting a plurality of single strands. It should be noted that, in the present embodiment, an example of the electric wire 20 being a stranded wire with a coating layer is shown, but the type of the electric wire 20 is not limited thereto. For example, the conductor 21 can be a single wire or a type in which a plurality of single strands are arranged straight without being twisted, and the conductor 21 may not be covered by the insulator 22.

[0053] The connection between the terminal 10 and the electric wire 20 will be described. As shown in (a) of Figure 2 and (a) of Figure 3 , the terminal 10 and the electric wire 20 are butt - jointed, and the end face 11a of the wire connection portion 11 and the end face of the conductor 21 are butt - jointed, and pressure is applied to the butt - joint surface (the end face 11a and the end face of the conductor 21). In this state, if electricity is applied to the electrodes respectively arranged on the wire connection portion 11 and the conductor 21, it is heated by the Joule heat generated by the contact resistance at the butt - joint portion. By pressing the heated wire connection portion 11 and the conductor 21 (electric wire 20), as shown in (b) of Figure 2 , a joint portion 30 between the wire connection portion 11 and the conductor 21 is formed.

[0054] Specifically, as shown in (b) of Figure 3 , since stresses are applied to the wire connection portion 11 and the conductor 21 in the directions indicated by arrows Y1 and Y2 respectively, the joint portion 30 between the wire connection portion 11 and the conductor 21 expands. By setting a jig corresponding to the size and shape of the desired joint portion 30 around the joint portion 30, the terminal 10 and the electric wire 20 can be joined by thermocompression bonding.

[0055] When performing the thermocompression bonding of the terminal 10 and the electric wire 20, from the viewpoint of resistance, it is preferable that the area of the end face 11a of the electric wire connection portion 11 is larger than the area of the end face of the conductor 21. Specifically, if the area of the end face 11a of the electric wire connection portion 11 is smaller than the area of the end face of the conductor 21, the resistance value at the position where the area becomes smaller becomes higher. On the other hand, if the ease of joining of the terminal 10 and the electric wire 20 is considered, as an example, it is preferable that the area of the end face of the conductor 21 is about 80% or more of the area of the end face 11a of the electric wire connection portion 11. In the case where it is assumed that the area of the end face 11a of the electric wire connection portion 11 is extremely smaller than the area of the end face of the conductor 21, if the terminal 10 and the electric wire 20 are thermocompression bonded, the end face 11a of the electric wire connection portion 11 is inserted into the inside of the conductor 21 and the joint portion 30 cannot be formed. Based on consideration of these situations, the thermocompression bonding of the terminal 10 and the electric wire 20 is performed under appropriate pressure conditions and temperature conditions.

[0056] As described above, the joint portion 30 of the electric wire 20 (conductor 21) and the terminal 10 (electric wire connection portion 11) joined by thermocompression bonding (heat compression bonding) has an enlarged portion whose cross-sectional area is larger than the area of the end face 11a of the electric wire connection portion 11 before joining. The cross-sectional area of the enlarged portion (joint portion 30) means the cross-sectional area of the joint portion 30 cut by a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the electric wire 20 at the position of the end face 11a.

[0057] When performing the thermocompression bonding of the electric wire connection portion 11 and the conductor 21, although it varies depending on the dimensions or temperature conditions of the electric wire connection portion 11 and the conductor 21, as an example, when the conductor 21 is a copper wire with a cross-sectional area of 95 mm 2 an enlarged joint portion 30 can be formed by applying a stress of about 20 kN.

[0058] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view along the longitudinal direction of the connector 1 having a connection structure of one embodiment, Figure 5 is Figure 4 an enlarged view of a C portion shown in. The connector 1 includes: the connection structure of the above-mentioned terminal 10 and the electric wire 20, a housing 40 for housing and holding the terminal 10, and an O-ring 50 (ring-shaped sealing member) clamped between the terminal 10 and the housing 40. As an example, the connector 1 is used as a charging port for an electric vehicle or the like.

[0059] As described above, the connection structure of the terminal 10 and the electric wire 20 (the portion where the terminal 10 and the electric wire 20 are connected to each other) has a joint portion 30 that is joined by butting the end face 11a of the electric wire connection portion 11 and the end face of the electric wire 20 (conductor 21) together by thermal compression. In other words, the end face 11a of the electric wire connection portion 11 and the end face of the electric wire 20 (conductor 21) together form the joint portion 30. The joint portion 30 has an enlarged portion having a cross-sectional area larger than the area of ​​the end face 11a of the electric wire connection portion 11 before joining.

[0060] The housing 40 is formed of synthetic resin material into a substantially hollow cylindrical shape. Figure 4 The left side of the figure has a terminal holding portion 51 for accommodating and holding the terminal 10, and the rear side ( Figure 4 The right side in the figure has a wire storage portion 52 for storing the wires 20.

[0061] For the terminal holding portion 51, as an example, Figure 4 The terminal holding wall is provided in the front-to-back direction in a manner that a plurality of terminals 10 arranged in a direction perpendicular to the paper and a plurality of terminals having a diameter smaller than the terminals 10 are accommodated and held. The terminal holding portion 51 has a plurality of locking protrusions 53 inside that are locked in the locking grooves 14 of the terminals 10. The locking protrusions 53 are locked in the locking grooves 14 to prevent the terminals 10 from falling off from the housing 40.

[0062] The wire housing portion 52 houses the wires 20 therein in a state where the terminal 10 whose end surface 11 a is joined to the wires 20 is inserted from the rear of the housing 40 and held in the terminal holding portion 51 .

[0063] O-ring 50 Figure 5 As shown, the terminal 10 is disposed in a groove 15 formed between a wall surface 13a corresponding to the rear end surface of the flange 13 of the terminal 10 and the joint portion 30, and is clamped between the terminal 10 and the housing 40. Since the terminal 10 and the wire 20 are joined by thermal compression, the groove 15 is formed between the expanded joint portion 30 (enlarged portion) and the wall surface 13a, and therefore, there is no need to form a groove for holding the O-ring 50 in advance in the terminal 10.

[0064] Figure 6 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the difference between the connector 1 of the embodiment and the connector 101 of the reference example. Figure 6 (a) is a cross-sectional view along the length direction of the connector 101 of the reference example, Figure 6 (b) is related to Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of the same connector 1. Figure 6 In the connector 101 of the reference example shown in (a), the same components and locations as those of the connector 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

[0065] The connector 101 of the reference example has a terminal 110 instead of the terminal 10 of the connector 1. The terminal 110 has a hollow cylindrical wire insertion portion 111 instead of the wire connection portion 11 of the terminal 10. The wire 20 is inserted and housed inside the wire insertion portion 111, and the outer periphery of the wire insertion portion 111 is flattened from six directions to press-fit the wire insertion portion 111 and the wire 20.

[0066] In this way, since the connector 101 of the reference example houses and press-fits the wire 20 inside the hollow cylindrical wire insertion portion 111, the wire insertion portion 111 requires a length of a certain level or more, and as a result, the overall length of the terminal 110 becomes long. Therefore, the volume of the terminal 110 becomes large and the cost becomes high. On the other hand, for the connector 1 of the embodiment, since the wire 20 is joined to the end face 11a of the terminal 10 by thermocompression bonding, it is not necessary to provide the hollow cylindrical wire insertion portion 111. Therefore, the overall length of the terminal 10 can be shortened by an amount corresponding to the length D of the wire insertion portion 111, and thus the terminal 10 can be miniaturized.

[0067] Moreover, in the press-fitting of the terminal 110 and the wire 20 of the reference example, since there is a case where the central portion of the wire 20 (the position separated from the wire insertion portion 111) is difficult to be flattened and the resistance value is high, the quality cannot be guaranteed. In contrast, for the connector 1 of the embodiment, since the terminal 10 and the wire 20 are butt-jointed at the end face for thermocompression bonding, the entire end face including the central portion (axial center portion) of the conductor 21 (in the case where the conductor 21 is composed of a plurality of single strands, all the single strands) can be joined to the end face 11a of the terminal 10. Therefore, a lower resistance can be achieved compared with the case of the reference example.

[0068] In addition, a groove portion 115 for holding the O-ring 50 is provided in advance in the terminal 110 of the reference example. In the terminal 10 of the embodiment, the groove portion 15 is formed by using the joint portion 30 formed when joining with the wire 20, and the O-ring 50 is held in the groove portion 15. Thus, according to the connection structure of the embodiment, not only the joining of the terminal 10 and the wire 20 but also the holding of the O-ring 50 can be achieved by thermocompression bonding.

[0069] As described above, in the connector 1 according to the above-described embodiment, since the electric wire 20 and the terminal 10 are joined at the end face, low resistance can be achieved as compared with the prior art, thereby ensuring quality. Further, since it is not necessary to provide a hollow cylindrical electric wire insertion portion 111 as in the reference example, miniaturization of the size of the terminal 10 can be achieved, and the manufacturing cost can be suppressed. In addition, since the O-ring 50 can be held by the enlarged portion (joint portion 30) formed by thermocompression bonding, it is not necessary to previously provide a groove portion for holding the O-ring 50 in the terminal 10. Therefore, the structure of the terminal 10 can be simplified and miniaturized.

[0070] Here, the features of the connector according to the above-described embodiment of the present invention are briefly summarized as [1] to [3] listed below.

[0071] [1] A connector (1) comprising:

[0072] A terminal (10);

[0073] A housing (40) that houses and holds the terminal (10);

[0074] An annular sealing member (O-ring 50) sandwiched between the terminal (10) and the housing (40);

[0075] For the terminal (10),

[0076] An electric wire connection portion (11) is formed on the first end side so as to be connected to the electric wire (20) and has a first end face (11a),

[0077] A terminal connection portion (12) is formed on the second end side so as to be connected to the other terminal,

[0078] The electric wire connection portion (11) is formed in a solid column shape,

[0079] The first end face (11a) is configured to form a part of the joint portion (30) by butt-joining with the second end face of the electric wire (20),

[0080] The joint portion (30) has an enlarged portion having a cross-sectional area larger than the area of the first end face (11a) before the first end face (11a) is joined to the second end face,

[0081] The terminal (10) further has a wall surface (13a),

[0082] The wall surface (13a) projects from the outer peripheral surface (10a) of the terminal (10) toward the radial direction of the terminal (10) at a position closer to the second end side than the first end face (11a) and extends in the circumferential direction of the terminal (10),

[0083] The sealing member (50) is caught in the groove portion (15) between the enlarged portion and the wall surface (13a).

[0084] [2] The connector (1) according to [1] above,

[0085] further includes the electric wire (20),

[0086] The first end face (11a) and the second end face that are joined to each other together form the joint portion (30).

[0087] [3] The connector (1) according to [2] above,

[0088] The electric wire (20) has a stranded wire (conductor 21) formed by stranding a plurality of single strands,

[0089] Before joining, the area of the first end face is larger than the area of the end face of the stranded wire.

Claims

1. A connector, characterized in that, Comprising: Terminals; A housing that houses and holds the terminals; An annular sealing member that is clamped between the terminals and the housing; For the terminals, On the first end side, there is a wire connection portion configured to be connected to a wire and having a first end face, On the second end side, there is a terminal connection portion configured to be connected to a terminal on the other side, The wire connection portion is formed as a solid columnar shape, The first end face is configured such that a joint portion is formed by butt-joining with a second end face of the wire, The joint portion has an enlarged portion with a cross-sectional area larger than the area of the first end face before the joining of the first end face and the second end face, The terminal further has a wall surface, The wall surface projects radially from the outer peripheral surface of the terminal at a position closer to the second end side than the first end face and extends in the circumferential direction of the terminal, The sealing member is locked in a groove portion between the enlarged portion and the wall surface.

2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein, It further has the wire, The first end face and the second end face that are joined together form the joint portion.

3. The connector according to claim 2, wherein, The wire has a stranded wire formed by stranding a plurality of single-strand wires, The area of the first end face before the joining is larger than the area of the end face of the stranded wire.

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